Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday alleged that the BJP was behaving in an undemocratic manner, by virtually keeping morality at bay.

"The BJP is exercising pressure on public representatives in the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Goa, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh to change their political parties. In UP, some ministers, including the chief minister, are yet to become MLAs.

File image of Akhilesh Yadav. AFP

"They should become MLAs after contesting the elections, and not by trying to make the sitting MLCs (Members of Legislative Council) resign. This is political corruption," he said.

The Samajwadi Party president also accused the BJP of having an "anti-people" and "anti-development" agenda, while also being against "socialism and secularism".

"The BJP is encouraging political corruption in a big way. The BJP is trying to break the opposition legislators by alluring and pressuring them. This amounts to insult of the mandate of the people. The BJP is against socialism and secularism. We have to remain alert of the BJP's casteist and communal politics," he was quoted as saying in party statement.

He also hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government for "insulting" shikshamitras (ad-hoc teachers).

The ad-hoc teachers had launched an agitation across the state on Thursday after the Supreme Court had upheld the Allahabad High Court verdict of September 2015 which had quashed their appointment as full-time teachers by the Akhilesh Yadav regime.

"Injustice has been done to the Shikshamitras. Some lives have been lost. The state government must give Rs 50 lakh financial assistance to the kin of the deceased," Akhilesh said, according to the statement.